Torture marks found on body

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 October 1998, 14:59 GMT]Rasanayakam Uthayakumar, 44, who was arrested by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) on October 23 at Nayanmarkaddu was handed over to the Jaffna hospital dead this afternoon. Jaffna D.M.O. said that there were indications on Uthayakumar's body that his left foot and right hand had been tied in chains.

Uthayakumar was arrested by the SLA at the Bharathy community centre sentry point at Nayanmarkaddu and was detained for interrogation at the army camp in the Gnanams hotel in Jaffna town his relatives said.

According to the relatives the army had told Uthayakumar's wife in Nayanmarkaddu yesterday that her husband would be released to today.

The SLA also instructed her to come with the local G.S at 10.00 a.m. today to be present at Uthayakumar's release.

However, when she turned up on time this morning she was told that Uthayakumar was ill and had been taken to the Jaffna hospital.

But at the hospital they found that Uthayakumar's body had been handed over by the army.